Fifty years on: Evaluating the 'contribution' of Jauhar to revolutionary activism

By Harsh Thakor* 

November 29 marks the 50th death anniversary of Jauhar, also known as Subrata Datta, who was killed in a police operation in the Bhojpur region of Bihar in 1975. His death, along with five others, is considered an important moment in the history of the Naxalite movement in Bihar.

Subrata Datta was born into a middle-class family in Calcutta. His father was a leader of the Students’ Federation in Bengal. In 1953 he joined the Hindustan Times as a journalist and later moved with his family to Delhi. He completed his schooling at Raisina Bengali High School in 1961 and subsequently returned to Calcutta to work as an apprentice at Guest Keen Williams.

During his years in Calcutta, he became involved in political activities and joined the communist movement. During the 1962 India–China conflict, he opposed prevailing nationalist sentiment and also participated in cultural activism, including the film society movement, becoming a founder member of the South Calcutta Cine Club.

After the 1964 split within the Communist Party of India (CPI), he joined CPI(M). Following the Naxalbari uprising, he left the party due to ideological differences and briefly worked with the MMG group before joining CPI(ML), eventually leaving his job to become a full-time organiser. His early work focused on organising peasants in the Bengal–Bihar border region of Chhotanagpur.

Working within the Bengal–Bihar Border Regional Committee, he became a member of the Bihar State Committee of the Party. In 1972, he was the only member of the leadership team in Ranchi not arrested. After the death of Charu Mazumdar and the arrest of most of the Bihar leadership, organisational structures deteriorated. Datta was involved in efforts to rebuild the party, addressing internal ideological differences. Following the reorganisation of the Central Committee on July 28, 1974, he was elected as its secretary.

Datta also worked on developing peasant mobilisation in Bhojpur, which supporters of the movement viewed as a significant phase of organising. He was closely associated with efforts to restructure the party on a national level while working with local activists. Activities during this period included land disputes, actions against landlords, and clashes with police forces, which continued until intensified state operations led to heavy losses.

On November 29, 1975, Datta was killed in an armed police action in Babubandh, Sahar, Bhojpur, along with several others, including Jagdish Master, Sheela, Nirman, Birad, Ramayan, Butan, and Rameshwar Ahir. His death was considered a setback for the movement, which declined significantly by 1976.

Supporters of Datta viewed his work as significant in shaping later organisational and ideological trends within different CPI(ML) streams. Some later factions, including CPI(ML) Liberation and CPI(ML) Party Unity, interpreted or reassessed his legacy in differing ways as they evolved and changed strategies.

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*Freelance journalist